


Any Last Words

by miyatree



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bittersweet, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 10:52:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1158806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miyatree/pseuds/miyatree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Rick Grimes, you got somethin' you wanna tell me?" The first time Daryl met Rick he asked him the same question. It seems only fitting it'd be his last.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Any Last Words

Daryl's face has paled beneath the thick layers of dirt and grime. It's hard to tell but Rick can see it. It's been just the two of them for so long now that Daryl really couldn't hide it even if he tried. He doesn't, just throws his crossbow down when he coughs; the noise echoes throughout the forest clearing and Rick winces, casting a weary glance around. Daryl notices.

“Get outta here,” he manages, collapsing to his knees. “Lost cause now.”

Rick kneels beside him and nudges his side. Daryl relaxes, finally sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out in front of him, his hands propping him up. “Rick...” Daryl mumbles, staring up at the sky.

“I'm not leaving,” Rick says, reaching over to wipe the blood off of Daryl's lips. Daryl flinches away, swatting at his hand.

“Stop that,” he says.

“I'm sorry.”

They fall silent, and for the moment Rick watches as an ant crawls along the edge of Daryl's crossbow. To be something so small was once terrifying but now Rick envies the insects, the birds, and even the trees. He envies their existence, their cut and dry approach to their simple lives.

He's lost so much.

“I'm not ready, Daryl. Not yet.”

Daryl sighs and falls on to his back. His voice is low when he replies simply, “Got no choice 'less you got some magic cure hidin' away somewhere.”

His bite is hidden beneath his shirt. Tucked under his collarbone, opposite from his heart. He won't let Rick see it but the material is stained red and sticks to him, clinging to his chest with every ragged breath he takes.

“You go to Fort Benning. None a' this place to place shit. You go find Carl. Smart kid like him'll look where there's people.”

“It's gone—those guys said it was gone—”

“You go there, you hearin' me? You're gonna leave me right here and now. Let me die in peace.”

“You don't mean that,” Rick whispers, and Daryl pretends not to hear the crack in his voice. He throws a hand over his eyes because suddenly the sun is too bright.

“Think I know what I want.”

“And what about what I want?” Rick says, his hand rests over Daryl's heart. He's calm so long as he can feel it beating.

“What do you want, Rick Grimes?” Daryl tries to laugh but it comes out ragged and weak, like he's drowning in his own blood. Rick wants to turn him over, let it drain out, let him breathe freely but Daryl shakes his head. “You got somethin' you wanna tell me?”

Rick breaks then, leans forward and kisses the hunter and it's so much sweeter than he ever expected it to be, softer than he imagined Daryl capable of. He cradles his face in shaking hands and hates himself for his weakness. He has no right to it, not when the man below him struggles to stay alive.

“Daryl,” Rick whispers, and when he pulls back Daryl's eyes are closed, his face— _it's so pale_. “Are you scared?” He asks, and he waits.

Daryl turns his head toward him and smiles. He takes one last, heavy breath, and he says, “I ain't afraid of nothin'.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. *hides* If it helps I cried while writing it. Inspired by the newest 4B trailer released today. The sentence, "I ain't afraid of nothin'" is credit to AMC's The Walking Dead, as well as "Rick Grimes, you got somethin' you wanna tell me?"


End file.
